Philly archbishop removes 5 priests from ministry

Five parish priests, including two from Chester County churches, have been permanently removed from ministry and two others were cleared to return to duties by the Roman Catholic archbishop of Philadelphia, the archdiocese announced on Sunday.

The decision by Archbishop Charles Chaput followed a formal investigation into allegations of misconduct or sexual abuse.

The church has not disclosed details of the allegations against the five priests, who were placed on administrative leave after a scathing grand jury report in February 2011.

Diocesan spokesman Ken Gavin said Sunday the announcements were made after Chaput met with the men over the past week. All seven remain priests.

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Among the five removed from ministry are the Rev. Joseph M. Glatts of Ss. Simon and Jude in West Chester, and the Rev. Peter J. Talocci of St. Patrick’s in Malvern. They never faced sexual abuse allegations but rather were determined to have acted in violation of church standards. Another is the Rev. Michael A. Chapman, 58, a Philadelphia priest who was investigated and cleared by an archdiocesan review board last year before a new accuser came forward with child sexual abuse allegations that The Philadelphia Inquirer reported date back 30 years. The second investigation was deemed substantiated, and information has been turned over to police.

The other two, who were accused of sexual abuse that the board could not substantiate but were removed for violations of ministerial behavior standards, were at churches in Philadelphia and Sellersville.

In a written statement, the archdiocese said it made counselors available for parishioners on Sunday. It said the five priests can appeal the decisions to the church hierarchy in Rome if they wish.

The Inquirer said two other priests were cleared to return to their parishes after the review board determined it could not substantiate allegations against them. Gavin said it was not clear if the two will return to their most recent parishes in Doylestown and Penndel.

The Associated Press was unable to reach any of the seven for comment.

Over the past two years, Chaput has returned eight other priests to the ministry and ruled nine were not fit for ministry. One priest died during an investigation and one case remains unresolved, although the archdiocese said law enforcement decided last month it would not press charges.